Overview & Reviews

It takes confidence to name a car the Legend. If it had been forgettable with nothing legendary about it, Acura could have found itself derided for the irony. It would have forever become the butt of automotive jokes, or worse, part of an Alanis Morissette song. Luckily for Honda's luxury division, its bravado paid off with the Acura Legend, a car that's still held in high regard years after it bowed out in favor of an ironically forgettable replacement.

The Acura Legend was launched in 1986 alongside the Integra sport hatchback to create the Acura brand in North America. Actually co-developed with British automaker Rover (which named its version of the car the Sterling 825), the Legend -- available in sedan and coupe body styles -- was immediately a hit among consumers and reviewers alike.

Through its fledgling Acura brand, Honda successfully blended its penchant for reliability and engine expertise with luxury features previously unavailable in a car wearing the H badge. The second-generation Legend raised the bar even further and its introduction for 1991 saw the debut of Acura's own insignia -- a flipped Honda H with the top pinched to make an A -- that solidified the brand as more of a stand-alone entity.

When Acura discontinued the Legend name in favor of a new alphanumeric naming scheme for its latest luxury sedan, it unfortunately coincided with a drop in style and driving passion that had made the Legend such a success. The Legend's replacement, the RL, was certainly more luxurious and just as reliable, but hardly exciting.

As such, the Legend represents a '90s-era high point of Acura luxury sedan and coupe design. For used-vehicle shoppers, most Legends are getting up there in terms of miles but are still very viable choices.

Most Recent Acura Legend

The second-generation Acura Legend was produced from 1991-'95. The sedan was initially offered in base, L and LS trim levels, while the coupe stuck with L and LS throughout its run. The Legend's core engine was a 3.2-liter V6 making 200 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque, mated to a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic. In 1993, coupes jumped to 230 hp and upgraded their manual transmission to a six-speed, while all Legends gained dual airbags.

In 1994 a new top-of-the-line GS sedan debuted with the stronger engine and larger 16-inch wheels. The base sedan was dropped, and all Legends added a new grille, bumpers and a power steering wheel that could finally tilt as well as telescope. Its final year, 1995, saw the addition of a limited-production SE sedan with slight cosmetic distinctions.

As with all Acuras, options were limited. An automatic transmission, CD changer and an upgraded Bose stereo were the rare à la carte choices, with leather an option on lower trim levels. Standard equipment included dual front airbags, antilock brakes, alloy wheels, full power accessories, a power driver seat with memory, a sunroof and steering-wheel audio controls. Traction control, keyless entry, heated seats, a power passenger seat and two-tone paint were among the standard items on the upper trim levels.

The Legend was not only good-looking and well-equipped, but rewarding to drive as well. Performance was strong, particularly with the more powerful V6 found on some of the later models. The interior was well-constructed and attractive, toeing the line between luxury and sport. However, headroom was iffy for taller drivers, and the backseat was a little skimpy on legroom due to the Legend's rare longitudinal engine layout. The coupe's rear quarters were even more cramped, though that's typical for two-doors.

Although most Acura Legends on the road now have high mileage, its reputation for consistently strong reliability makes well-maintained examples an excellent choice.

Past Acura Legend models

The original, slightly smaller Acura Legend was produced from 1986-'90 and available in coupe and sedan body styles. These cars set the precedent for future Acuras with high feature content, quality engineering and impeccable reliability.

User Reviews:

Showing 211 through 220 of 273.00

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  95 Acura Legend Sedan - 1995 Acura Legend
  By dhassell - February 20 - 2:00 am

  Ive had excellent service from this car - it now has 130000 miles with only normal service, incl. timing belt. Seem to have transmission overheating problem - no resolution yet. I loved the color - Champagne gold with gold lettering.

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  Whod a thought?! - 1991 Acura Legend
  By PB9717 - February 19 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car as a replacement for my constantly breaking mark 7, which broke again for the 5th time in a year. Initially iconsidered it a glorified Honda, and I still kinda do, but it does drive impeccably, runs fantastic, and has never givien me any reason to have to repair it. I will do all scheduled maintainance, and should get over 200K miles out of it. And its 12 years old, with 67K on it now. The window regulator broke 2 days after I bought it, but thats it. It really does run and run.

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  LEGEND - 1995 Acura Legend
  By kurzinsky - February 11 - 2:00 am

  ONE OF A KIND, LEGENDS WILL RUN FOR 300K NO PROBLEM!!!

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  Reliable fun to drive touring car - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Eric93L - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Model: 5 speed manual with the 200 hp. The car has excellent power and refinement. The engine revs smoothly to the redline and wants to keep going. The car handles excellent at high speeds and makes a wonderful highway cruising car. There is a lot of road noise for a car in this class, but it is still very quiet for what I am used to. Gas mileage is good for the class with the manual 27/17 mpg highway/city is what I get. The car doesnt have many features, but those it does have are of the best quality. The radio sounds great, all the controls are simple and easy to use. The leather seats are comfortable, but no seat heaters in the L model. An excellent car overall.

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  Great Car - 1990 Acura Legend
  By maggie, jr - January 16 - 2:00 am

  An outstanding design and even better performance. For the 13 years I owned this car, avarage maintenance cost was about $1500 per year. This car has 176000 miles and expected to make another 50000, at least.

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  Acura the BEST BUY on the market! - 1993 Acura Legend
  By Eddie Willing - January 7 - 2:00 am

  When I bought my acura legend, I knew only that it was built by Honda, had 120,000 miles and was a manual V6. It felt fast, and it was cheap, so I bought it. Now, my next new car will be a TL. I am sold! This car is reliable, stable, holds turns well, has the acceleration of any large size sedan, is bilt safe, has all the power features youd want in a car, and has some of the crispiest handling of any car Ive driven. I desire to never again return to the world of auto tranny! This Legend shall hold its own. It truly will go down in history as a legendary improvement on the everymans vehicle!

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  had an 86 for 200,000 mi., wanted more - 1991 Acura Legend
  By markyg - December 31 - 2:00 am

  After 14 years of driving an 86 Legend, I was convinced of Acura quality (engine still ran perfectly). I shopped for 4 months and bought a 91 coupe w/ 32K mi. Looks, feels & drives like a new car. Many people assume its a brand new car. Unbelieveable for a 12 year old car.

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  Great Car - 1994 Acura Legend
  By Alik - December 19 - 2:00 am

  Best car of the 90s

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  Great car if take carre of it - 1990 Acura Legend
  By Geter - December 10 - 2:00 am

  This is the second 1st generation Legend I have owned and love it. As long as you use synthetic oil, keep the tranny fluid changed and change the timing belt before its due, youll be good to go. Automatic tranny is a little too happy about downshifting sometimes, but overall Ive been loving this car.

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  LS sdn-Is this the same car? - 1991 Acura Legend
  By bartmanSF - December 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought my acura after selling a 91 bmw 535i (still my favorite) My acura came from a smooth talking texan w/a clean carfax report and spray painted leather seats(to cover the cracks)2of4 bose spkrs not working. In a wk needed batt,alternator,rotors,brakes and still leaking ps fluid about qt/wk. DLR said it needed new rack&pinion assb.(stop-leak for ps 3(x) worked) It had 115k so maintanence was expected-but that was just the beginning.Tran shifts rough and clunks when going into gear (needs new tran mount) hood shocks quit,the a/c comp quit on the hottest day of the year driving to LA on I-5.(est. 1- 2k)cont...